A culture of curiosity

However successful Gimv has been over the past years, it does not rest on its laurels. Education and learning remain at the forefront of the company’s policy. As Dejonckheere says, “At Gimv, Vlerick is an integral part of our culture. This is a culture of being curious. All people - even if they have been at Gimv for 32 years - need to begin every day thinking about what’s about to happen. Being open minded. That’s why we actively and consciously cooperate with some high-standing business schools, of which Vlerick is the main one. We work together and we sponsor the chair of private equity and venture capital. We have some people of Gimv teach Vlerick courses regularly. This is not because we want to teach, but because we want to be part of an ecosystem of change and a culture of ambition.”

“The ecosystem around Vlerick - making the new business leaders of tomorrow, re-educating them, recycling them - is a constant process of creative destruction. It is fortunate that we have very good business schools, which are all ecosystems. They are not only compatible, they are also intertwined. Often, we directly recruit people who have a Vlerick background. We need to do this, because that is where change is, where ambition is, where people go for growth and globalisation.”

“Ten or twenty years ago, it was important that students, engineers, lawyers and psychologists learned something about management. Today, we are much further on. It’s about strategy, development strategy, driving change, and all in a very international context. Gimv has evolved into that reality but we feel that Vlerick has evolved there too. We are partners for the future.”